Container closure and process for producing the same



June 6, 1939. s. N. DALTON 2,161,561

CONTAINER CLOSURE AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Filed March 2, 193'? INVENTOR. SCHUYLER N. DALTON A TTORNEY Patented June 6, 1939 PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER CLOSURE AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Schuyler N. Dalton. Huntington Terrace, N. Y., assignor to Sylvanla Industrial Corporation,

Fredericksburg, Va., a

corporation of Virginia Application March 2, 1937, Serial No. 128,815

scum. (01. 215-38) This invention relates to a method for the manufacture of shrinkable closures for containers and to the article produced thereby. More particularly, it relates to shrinkable caps and bands for containers carrying an indicia-bearing label,

such as a Government tax stamp, over the closure, to correlated improvements directed to enhancing the appearance of the same, and to the process of preparing them.

In the packaging of alcoholic liquors, such as wines, whiskeys, etc., in bottles, it is frequently the practice to aillx identifying labels and sometimes necessary to apply a Government tax stamp over or adjacent the mouth of the bottle. Such 5 stamps are usually in the form of a narrow strip which is adhesively attached to the closure and extends over the top of the closure cap and down the side of the bottle neck. The stamp must be aflixed in such a manner that the whole of the stamp is visible and also that the bottle cannot be opened and the contents removed without mutilating the stamp.

It is frequently the practice to place over the bottle closure a shrinkable cap or band such, for

example, as one 01' the so-called viscose caps. To enhance the appearance of the closure, the cap or band is made opaque or treated to render it opaque. When such an opaque closure is placed over the strip stamp to hold'the same in place and to efiectively seal the container, the

closure will obscure a part'of the stamp in violation of the Government regulations.

It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved shrinkable container closure in the form of a cap or band which is provided with a relatively transparent section, so that when the cap or band is properly applied over a container mouth having an indicia-bearlng label adjacent thereto or thereon, the indicia will be legi- 40 ble in its entirety.

Another object of the invention is to provide a process for producing a shrinkable container closure having certain sections which are opaque and certain other sections which are relatively transparent.

A- more specific object of the invention is to provide a shrinkable container closure in which the wall thickness is varied to produce relatively transparent sections.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. According to the invention, the process comprises shaping a suitable film-forming solution to form a shrinkable container closure having 55 wall areas or sections varying in thickness and transparency. More particularly the shaping process may comprise passing a relatively viscous solution of a film-forming material containing an opaqueing substance, through an annular oriflce constructed in such a manner as to form a seamless tubing having wall areas or sections varying in thickness. In another embodiment of the process, a shrinkable closure is produced by dipping a mandrel into the film-forming material, the mandrel being shaped in such a manner as to produce a closure having wall areas or sections varying in thickness. The invention also comprises the apparatus for carrying out the process and the improved shrinkable container closures, the wall areas of which vary in thickness and transparency.

The closure-forming solution employed in the process may comprise any suitable film-forming solution of a non-fibrous plastic material such as viscose solutions or solutions of cellulose esters, such, for example, as cellulose nitrate; cellulose ethers such, for example, as methyl cellulose; cellulose oxy-ethers such, for example, as ethoxy cellulose; or solutions of synthetic resins such, for example, as polymerized vinyl resins or solutions of other suitable plastic materials that will shrink upon the loss of moisture and/or solvent such as gelatine, casein and the like.

It is to be understood that for the purposes of this invention, the expression transparent shall designate that optical condition of a dry closure wall which at least enables reading matter to be read therethrough when the wall is in direct contact with the reading matter and any other optical condition of the closurewall shall be designated as opaque; the expressions transparent and opaque as used in the speciflea-tion and claims shall be interpreted in conformity with this definition. When the closure is formed in its entirety of a film-forming substance containing an opaqueing substance, the amount of opaqueing substance which may be incorporated in a particular film-forming material shall be not more than that which will leave the wall of minimum thickness transparent within the above definition.

Any of the aforementioned solutions may have a pigment, filler or any other opaqueing substance incorporated therein to'give an opaque film upon deposition. For example, with a viscose solution, about 5-10% of barium sulphate may be used or 3-4% of titanium dioxide based upon the cellulose content.

The invention accordingly comprises the process having the'sever'al steps and the relation of steps and the article which possesses the charac-' teristics, properties and relation of elements, all as exemplified in the detailed disclosure hereinafter set forth and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical representation of apparatus for forming a shrinkable closure of the invention;

Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive illustrate in cross-section and in as many embodiments, the extruding die of the invention;

Fig. 6 shows a seamless tubing before being severed to form shrinkable closures of the invention.

Fig. '7 shows in perspective a shrinkable band of the invention Fig. 8 illustrates a mandrel of the invention after the first dip in the formation of a cap of the invention;

Fig. 9 shows the mandrel of Fig. 8 after an additional coat of a film-forming solution has been applied thereto;

Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate in cross-section, a view of the mandrels shown in Figs. 8 and 9 respectively;

Fig. 12 shows a shrinkable band of the invention applied to a bottle; and

Fig. 13 illustrates a shrinkable cap of the invention applied to a container.

One embodiment of the tube-forming apparatus of the invention is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 in which there is provided an extrusion nozzle I having a conduit 2 through which the tube-forming solution is introduced and an annular orifice 3 through which the solution is extruded in the form of a seamless, flexible tubing 4, a conduit 5 for supplying a coagulating fluid to the interior of the tubing and a centrally disposed conduit 6 through which air may be supplied into' the interior tubing and/or through which spent coagulating fluid may be withdrawn. The conduit 6 may extend any desired distance within the interior of the freshly extruded tubing 4. The orifice 3 of the extrusion head I is disposed beneath the surface of the coagulating bath 1 contained in a suitable vessel 8.

The tubing 4 which is preferably maintained in a distended condition during coagulation is passed through the bath I and around a rotatable roller 9 which may be driven at any suitable rate with respect to the rate of extrusion. After coagulation, the tubing is subjected to the conventional purifying, washing and conditioning treatments in baths I0, I l and I2 and finally the tubing passes through a drying chamber l3 and'is thereafter severed transversely by a cutting device M, the bands thus formed being collected in a suitable receptacle l5.

The extruding nozzle I comprises two cooperating elements which are concentrically disposed with respect to each other, the inner element being connoted herein as the core member and the outer element as the die member. As shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, the core and die members are so designed as to form an annular orifice 3 which varies in width. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the interior of the die member I6 is alliptical in cross-section whereas the exterior of the core member I I is circular in cross-section, but concentrically disposed within the member l6 and forming a generally circular or annular orifice 3 through which the film-forming solution is adapted to pass during the extrusion process.

The nozzle shown in Fig. 3 is composed of a. die member I8 having a circular inner surface and a core member l9 having an elliptical outer configuration, thus forming an orifice 3 similar in shape tothat shown in Fig. 2. The extruding nozzle shown in Fig. 5 comprises a die member 20 having a circular inner surface and a core member 2| having a generally elliptical exterior, thereby forming an orifice 3 in which the narrow portions 22 are uniform in width in lieu of tapering in width as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a nozzle composed of a circular die member 23 and a circular core member 24 forming an orifice 3' having a uniform width throughout its length. The core member is provided with slots 25 through which a solution may be passed and which may be the same as or a. different solution from that fed through the orifice 3'. In any event, the tubing formed by the use of this nozzle will also have thick and thin wall portions inasmuch as the solution that issues from the slots 25 will adhere to the inner surfaces of the solution issuing from the orifice 3, thus forming a unitary structure.

A section of the tubing 4, of the invention, is illustrated in Fig. 6 which is preferably composed of pigmented cellulosic material which is relatively opaque at the thickened sections A and is relatively transparent at the thinner sections B.

When the tubing 4 is severed transversely at spaced intervals along the lines C, there are formed a plurality of shrinkable bands 26 of the type shown in Fig. 7. Each band 26 comprises two opaque sections separated by transparentsections B, the latter of which form the. window portion through which an indicia-bearing band or the like may be read.

During its manufacture, the tubing is preferably conveyed through the various treatment baths in a flattened condition, the fold lines 21 being naturally or otherwise formed at the thinnest portions of the tubing which are located at the center of the window section. Inasmuch as shrinkable container closures are shipped to the user in a flattened condition, the fold line 2'! has proven to be a very valuable asset to the closure of the invention, as it permits the operator to easily apply the closure to a container and properly align the same, by means of touch alone, with respect to a label, tax stamp or the like which may be disposed over the mouth of the container.

In the production of the cap-type of the closure of the invention, the mandrel 28 as shown in Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive may effectively be employed. The mandrel 28 is generally cylindrical in shape with a rounded bottom portion and is provided with a projecting band portion 29 which extends from a point near the top of the mandrel down one lateral side, around the bottom and up on the opposite side, as shown in the drawing. The band portion 29 may be formed integrally with the mandrel 28 or it may be separably mounted thereon.

In'the process of forming a cap of the invention, the mandrel 28 is dipped into a suitable tion from the band portion 2!. Figs. 8 and 10 show the mandrel having one or more coats of a solution containing an opaqueing substance applied thereto, the band portion 20 being free of the solution. The mandrel 28 is again dipped in the same or in a transparent filmforming solution to form a continuous film over the .entire mandrel 28, as shown in Fig. 9. The solution or solutions applied to the mandrel 28 may now be subjected to coagulating, purifying and conditioning treatments in the usual manner. The mandrel 28 may be dipped into a coagulating bath after each dipping or after the final dip as desired. The cap 3|, a cross-section of which is shown in Fig. 11, is then stripped from the mandrel 28, and subjected to the usual trimming operations and the like. The mandrel 2|, may be formed of any suitable material such as metal, glass, etc., and may be provided with heating or cooling means. The process may also be carried out by employing a plain mandrel without a projecting band portion 29 in such acase a strip of the coating of the first dip is removed by means of ,a suitable scraper or the like. A masking tape may also be applied before the first dip and removed thereafter leaving an uncoated strip on the mandrel.

Fig. 12 shows a novel shrinkable closure 26 of the band-type as applied to a container 32 having a label, tax stamp or the like disposed over the mouth thereof. The transparent window sections B of the band 26 are disposed over the indicia bearing band 33 so that the latter is clearly visible while the opaque portions A cover the unattractive portions of the container top. While the band may be composed throughout of the same pigmentized composition, the thinness of the window section renders it sumciently transparent to enable reading matter to be read therethrough when the wall of the closure is in contact with such matter.

Fig. 13 illustrates a shrinkable cap 3! of the invention as applied to a container 34 having an indicia-bearing band 35 disposed over the mouth thereof, the window section B overlying the indicia-bearing band 35. -It will be observed that by the present invention there ,is provided a novel shrinkable closure for containers having a Government tax stamp or other indicia-bearing label over the mouth portion thereof, the closure having transparent window sections through which the stamp or label is legible in its entirety and opaque sections which serve to enhance the appearance of the container. The shrinkable closure of the invention may be further enhanced in appearance by applying indicia or other suitable decorative matter to the opaque portions thereof.

Since certain changes in carrying out the above process, and certain modifications in the article which embody the invention may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire .to secureby Letters Patent is:

i. As an article of manufacture, a shrinkable container closure having wall areas varying in thickness to produce areas of varying transparency.

2. As an article of manufacture, a relatively opaque shrinkable closure band having two opposed sections which are transparent and thinner than the remainder of the band.

3. As an article of manufacture, a shrinkable closure band having two opposite relatively thick and opaque sections and two opposite relatively thin and transparent sections.

4. As an article oi manufacture, a flattened shrinkable container closure band having thick and thin wall portions which are relatively opaque and transparent respectively, the fold lines incidental to the flattening of the band being located through the center of the transparent portions.

5. As an article of manufacture, a relatively opaque flattened shrinkable band having two opposed sections which are transparent and thinner than the remainder of the band, the fold lines incidental to the flattening of the band being disposed through the center. of the transparent portions.

6. As an article of manufacture, a relatively opaque shrinkable cap having a transparent strip extending through the longitudinal center portion thereof, the transparent portion having a wall thickness less than that of the remainder of the cap.

7. A shrinkable container closure comprising a tubing formed of cellulosic material, opaqueing pigment disposed within said material, the wall of'said tubing being of varying thickness over longitudinally extending areas to cause said tubing to be transparent over the thinner areas.

8. A shrinkable container closure comprising a. transparent tubing, sections of opaque material oppositely disposed longitudinally of said tubing to provide thick, opaque wall areas on said closure connected by thinner transparent areas.

SCHUYLER N. DALTON.

CERTIFICATE OF gbRREcTIoN.

7 Seaman N. DALTON, 1

It 15 heren y certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above humbered patent z equ iring correction he follo ws: Bagefi, sec- 7 0nd column, line 14.5, cla im 6,-for'the werd "strip" read s'trJ .pe--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with'th is cofrection therein that the same may cdnform to the record or the casein the Patent" Office. Signed and sealed. this 18th dayor June, A. D. 191w.

- Henry Van Arsdel'e,

( Seal) Acting Coinniasiqnef bf Patents. 

